


Nightmares May Pass

by InkstainedGwyn



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 11:15:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13122579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkstainedGwyn/pseuds/InkstainedGwyn
Summary: Watching the person you love disappear in front of you is nightmare fuel, even when it all turns out okay.





	Nightmares May Pass

**Author's Note:**

> A secret santa gift for kii-artt in 2017's Persona Secret Santa on Tumblr

“ _YOSUKE! PARTNER! NO!_ ”

Screaming never saved anyone, and now was no exception. Even as Souji dropped to his knees, reaching desperately for Yosuke’s wrist, the skeletal hands tightened their hold, dragging the brunette into the murky underground. The brunette wasn’t going to go without a fight - he was struggling, reaching desperately towards Souji, who _almost_ had him but couldn’t _quite_ reach, and Yosuke’s eyes - usually so sparkling and vibrant - were darkened with fear, a silent pleading for someone to save him. No, not just ‘someone’, but _Souji_ , his best friend, partner, and boyfriend - but it was too late. The darkness washed over Yosuke so quickly that it was almost as if he hadn’t even _existed_ , and-

With a gasp, Souji threw himself out of the nightmare he’d been having; a memory of that afternoon, the absolute terror he’d felt as he watched his friends - especially Yosuke - get dragged into the abyss. Heart pounding, he had to blink hard to keep himself from drowning back into the dream; he was still exhausted, he needed sleep, but he’d give _anything_ not to have to relive that again.

Deep breaths helped, but it wasn’t until he felt a slight motion beside him that he could even begin to let himself untense. Turning his head, he saw Yosuke’s tousled hair against the Dojimas’ spare futon pillow; the brunette had just rolled over to face him, and although Yosuke was asleep Souji could still see his face. The sight was enough to finally start calming him down, and he took the opportunity to study his boyfriend’s face; even though the light was faint, filtered as it was through the blinds, it was enough to show off the faint dusting of freckles across the brunette’s nose, his surprisingly-long eyelashes, the curve of his cheekbone, and his lightly-parted lips (chapped, no matter how often Souji pressed a chapstick into his hands to remind him to take care of them.)

When he was awake, such scrutiny would have embarrassed Yosuke; honestly, Souji kind of understood the feeling. But tonight was an exception; Souji was leaving for Tokyo the next day, and although he knew that he’d have holidays and other chances to see Yosuke before they were finally able to move in together, he wasn’t going to be able to see the brunette _every day_. With the residual fear from his nightmare still fresh in his heart, he felt himself starting to tear up; he didn’t _want_ to go, and their run-in with Izanami that afternoon had showed him just how terrified he was of losing Yosuke. But it wasn’t his choice, and all he could do was try to commit this moment to memory so that he’d have something to carry him through his months alone in the city.

Just as he reached out, meaning only to touch Yosuke’s hair, the brunette stirred; sleepy amber eyes flickered open, and he blinked at Souji, lips curving into a slow smile. Before he could say anything, though, his gaze sharpened; it was clear that he’d seen the expression on Souji’s face, and even though Souji tried hard to blink the tears away, he wasn’t fast enough. A hand reached out and gentle fingers - tips calloused from guitar strings - brushed at the wetness on Souji’s cheek.

The touch was too much, and although Souji struggled to keep calm, he couldn’t hold back his emotions and the tears started to fall faster. The look on Yosuke’s face shifted from confused to concerned, and he rolled closer, sliding an arm over Souji’s waist to pull his boyfriend closer.

“Hey, partner, shhhh. Shhhh, shhh it’s okay, Souji. I’m here.”

That was one of the many, many things that Souji loved about Yosuke. He was curious, but he never forced the issue; his heart was too big, his worry for others too strong. Burying his face against the brunette’s shoulder, Souji finally let himself sob; the arms around him just tightened, and he could feel a cheek pressed against the top of his head.

“What’s wrong?” His voice was quiet, and the depth of feeling behind the words made Souji tear up again, as he thought about Izanami, and the void, and how it had felt to _lose_ that warmth, that generous heart.

“I can’t-” He clenched his fingers in Yosuke’s sleep shirt. “I don’t want to lose you, Yosuke… I can’t do it, I _can’t_ …”

“ _Hey_. Hey, partner. You’re not gonna lose me, okay? I’m here. I swear it. You can’t get rid of me that easy, you know?”

There was something in his tone of voice that couldn’t help but soothe Souji’s worries, and after a few minutes, he finally started to calm down. When he pulled back a little, Yosuke’s arms loosened, and the silver-haired boy found that he could finally look up into his boyfriend’s eyes without breaking back down. As their eyes met, Yosuke - brows still furrowed in concern - gave him a little smile.

“Worried about leaving?”

Souji nodded, taking a deep breath. “Yeah. And- I had a dream. About Izanami. About- when you-” Swallowing, he closed his eyes. It was still hard for him to talk about his feelings, the things that bothered him - although he felt more open with Yosuke than with anyone else. He’d spent most of his life keeping his emotions close at hand, and once he’d met everyone in Inaba, they’d _needed_ him. He’d finally found people to be strong for, and he’d gotten so hung up in that need that it had taken Yosuke knocking some sense into him (to be fair, he’d hit back pretty hard, too) before he realised that… well, that’s what being partners _meant_. They were there to support each other.

There was a gentle bump against his forehead and he opened his eyes again to see that Yosuke had tapped their heads together. Looking up, Souji gave a small, scared grimace. “I thought I’d lost you, Yosuke. And I didn’t know how I’d go on without you.”

Those words were hard enough to say, but he didn’t have to say anything else. The arms tightened again and he just had time to hear a muttered “Souji,” before Yosuke kissed him. It wasn’t rough, but it was insistent, and Souji was a little breathless by the time the brunette had pulled back.

“I understand, partner. It’s okay.” Funnily enough, those were the words that Souji often used for others and they’d always felt so cliché, but he understood now that they _did_ help. There was a small pause, and Yosuke - who had looked off over Souji’s head for a moment, as if thinking (or remembering) - looked back. “For what it’s worth, I don’t remember much about it. I was scared when it happened, I didn’t want to die, and I was scared of losing you. But then the next thing I knew, I was waking up with you leaning over me and- well, I thought it’d all been a dream. Maybe it’ll hit me later, I don’t know, but I-”

This time, Souji was the one who had tightened his arms, and Yosuke just gave him a small - but sincere - smile before continuing. “I’m okay. But I also didn’t have to deal with it being reality for more than a few seconds. You, on the other hand…” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Souji. I'm sorry for leaving everything to you - not that I'm surprised that you knocked it out, of course. I wish there was more I could do, but- I’m here. And I’ll always _be_ here. We’re partners. You’re my best friend. You’re my _boyfriend_ , and I love you. Distance is going to suck, but it doesn’t matter, you know?”

“Yeah.” Exhaling softly, Souji nodded. “I don’t- it’s hard, but-” He blinked hard again, and Yosuke bumped their foreheads together again, this time a little more forcefully, though not enough to hurt.

“I know it’s gonna be hard. For both of us. And everytime it gets bad, I’m gonna text you or you’re gonna text me, and we’re gonna call, and maybe visit. Right?” Souji had to smile at this. Yosuke was always the planner, the go-getter, and his conviction was contagious.

“Right.” His voice was still shaky, but the arm around his waist was strong, and he found himself feeling… well, a little less unbalanced. More hopeful. As his smile grew a little wider, Yosuke kissed him again.

Sharing a futon was a bit cramped, but it was comfortable - especially as nights were still cold - and Souji pushed away the thought that this would be the last time for a while. Yosuke must have been thinking the same thing, because he suddenly tightened his arms again.

“Golden Week. You’ll be back for Golden Week. And then your folks already gave us the okay for me to come spend those two weeks this summer, and they haven’t said no about you coming back to Inaba for the rest of it. You know Dojima wants it, and so does Nanako. Who can resist Nanako?”

“Who indeed?” Finally chuckling, Souji pulled Yosuke in, closer, and kissed him. “Thank you, Yosuke. I’m going to miss you like crazy, but you’ll still be here.”

“I’ll still be here,” the brunette agreed, nodding. “And we’ll call and text and it’ll be just like normal, only without crazy murderers and gods trying to kill us.”

“I do live in Tokyo, Yosuke.”

“Souji, if you’ve got people trying to kill you in Tokyo we probably need to talk.”

They looked at each other for a moment, then burst into laughter, although Souji quickly muffled his against Yosuke’s shoulder and the brunette turned to hide his face in the pillow. And before Souji knew it, his laughter was cut off by a massive yawn; Yosuke followed suit, and they snickered at each other.

“We should sleep,” Souji said, reluctantly, through another yawn.

“Yeah.” The brunette had already reclaimed his pillow space, but he hadn’t moved his arms and Souji wasn’t about to complain. Pulling the covers that they’d dislodged back up, he gave his boyfriend one more sleepy kiss.

“G’night, Yosuke. Love you.”

“Mmmm. Night, Souji. Love you, too.”


End file.
